Armed police and helicopter spotted around Shevington High School in frantic search for suspected 'gunman'
Armed police launched a frantic manhunt for a ‘suspected’ gunman reportedly spotted near a high school in Shevington last night.
The police helicopter was deployed to assist officers on the ground, as GMP’s firearms officers searched streets and fields around Shevington High School, close to the M6, at around 5.30pm.
Greater Manchester Police were reluctant to share details on the incident, but confirmed that ‘nothing was found’.
The force said officers were stood down after the ‘suspected firearm sighting’ was deemed ‘a false alarm’.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We always deploy firearms officers in response to these kinds of reports. All appropriate checks were made and nothing was found.”
The incident caused alarm in the village, with anxious residents eager for information taking to Facebook in search for answers.
One local resident said: “I drove past earlier and 6 armed police officers were running up the road. There is a passage opposite Shevington High and they were going in there.
“Think it leads to the motorway, was really scary. They had big guns on them!”